Celiac disease, also known as sprue, non-tropical sprue, gluten intolerance or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food important for general health. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. Parts of these grains can be found in a whole host of processed foods.
Celiac disease is both a disease of malabsorption, as nutrients are not absorbed properly, and an abnormal immune reaction to gluten. The exact cause of celiac disease is unknown. The lining of the intestines contain areas called villi, which maximize the intestine's ability to absorb nutrients. When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products that contain gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging these villi.
Celiac disease has a strong genetic component associated with the Histocompatability-Linked-Antigen (HLA) region of the human genome. Environmental factors may also play a role in triggering the disease. People who have a family member with celiac disease are at greater risk for developing the disease. Sometimes the disease is triggered or becomes active for the first time after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection or severe emotional stress. The disorder is most common in Caucasians and persons of European ancestry with women being typically affected more often than men.
No description in the Background Section should be taken as an admission that such disclosure constitutes prior art to the instant invention.